Athlete Spotlight: volleyball setter Brittany Jessen
Not your typical first-year volleyball player, Brittany Jessen is the setter. Last year she graduated early from high school and in January she came to USD. She started taking spring classes and became acquainted with the volleyball team.
Alanna Schmeichel: Where are you from?
Brittany Jessen: I am from Mendota Heights, Minn. It is a suburb of St. Paul.
A.S.: Why did you come to South Dakota?
B.J.: I came mainly for the volleyball program. I visited a couple times before committing. Then I decided I really like the coaching staff and the team. I really enjoyed the environment of South Dakota volleyball and how it is unselfish play. I also like the small campus and the small town to rally behind the team. USD has a really good program for my major.
A.S.: What is your intended major?
B.J.: I plan to major in English education and minor in reading. I hope to be a teacher and coach. I always wanted to teach. My mom was a principal and a teacher. My brother is a teacher. It kind of runs in the family, but I also really like working with kids. It may be a hard job, but it will be rewarding to impact so many kids.
A.S.: What is your favorite part about volleyball?
BJ: I would say the competitiveness. It is such a high intensity game because you either get the point or not. It’s a team-oriented sport, and you want three people to touch the ball. You definitely can’t play it by yourself, and you need your teammates to help pick you up when you make mistakes
A.S.: What got you interested in volleyball?
B.J.: When I was 10 my neighbor encouraged me to join a small league in town. Then I played competitive club volleyball ages 12-17. I loved volleyball right away because it embodies how you need your team.
A.S.: What are your goals and the team goals?
B.J.: I want to have high assists, and the team wants to go to the Summit League tournament and do well in it.
A.S.: What is your role on the team?
B.J.: I work really closely with the coaches to make up all the plays and to put hitters into good situations. As a setter, I want to keep up the fast pace of the game. We have so many different personalities, and my job is to keep focused and calm. We all balance each other out.
A.S.: How do you impact your team emotionally?
B.J.: I impact my team by playing steady by not getting too high or low emotionally. I provide confidence in my team. It is really important my hitters have confidence in me to set them up. Coming down here last spring has helped with the confidence.
A.S.: How do you balance volleyball and school?
B.J.: It takes a lot of practice. It is important to separate the two so I can stay focused in practice and then I can focus on schoolwork at separate times. Plus, our coaches tell us that schoolwork is important, and you need good grades to play. They get us the tutors we need and study table hours.
(Photo: Brittany Jessen, a Univerisity of South Dakota first-year setter, prepares to serve the ball Oct. 14 during the USD vs. Iowa State University game in the DakotaDome. In Saturday’s game vs. SDSU, Jessen set the ball 34 times.)
